The IC (Internal Combustion) Engines, particularly Diesel engines used to be the workhorse alternative in many parts of the world with limited or no access to electricity. Along with the more silent Petrol Engine, it is the workhorse for many applications – mainly automobile, railways, ships, engine driven equipment and standby or standalone electricity generation systems. IC Engine has ruled the roost for nearly 100 plus years in powering many of our transportation and other needs. It was literally the ‘Growth Engine’ for the industry since the early decades of the last millennium.Automobile and auto component industries have spanned a huge swath of manufacturing industries and created millions and millions of jobs for a long time. For many decades the health and size of auto industry used to determine the overall development of a nation. Packing a good energy & power density, the IC engine was the invariable choice of engineers to power any equipment mechanically. Emergence of electric motor along with the Alternating Current distribution system, replaced the IC engine in most stationary equipment for delivery mechanical energy output. But the engines were still the first choice for mobile equipment including the cars, trucks, tractors, railways, etc.One main advantage of diesel engine driven equipment is their mobility and ease of operation. India, which has the largest number of people without access to electricity and Africa where 2 out of 3 people do not have such access, are prime markets for such engine driven equipment. The diesel engine is used as prime mover in electricity generation systems, for a variety of applications, some of which are listed below:
An Ode to the IC Engine
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